Dylan Gossett

Dylan Gossett (born March 11, 1999) is an American country singer-songwriter from Austin, Texas. He has released two studio EPs and one album. He is signed to Big Loud Texas/Mercury Records and has a global publishing deal with Universal Music Group Nashville. His second self-released single, "Coal", made the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Early life and education

Gossett was born in Austin. His mother worked as a teacher and his father coached basketball. He began taking music lessons in middle school after he discovered Ed Sheeran's music, but stopped lessons eventually and learned from his brother and from watching YouTube.

Gossett said artists including Sheeran, Turnpike Troubadours, Flatland Cavalry, Cody Johnson, Shane Smith and The Saints, and Mumford & Sons as being inspirations for his music. Gossett initially only intended to write and perform music for family gatherings around Thanksgiving and Christmas, when he would share musical ideas with family members and create songs with them.

Gossett studied at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, and graduated in 2021, when he interned with F1 in event operations and logistics at the Circuit of the Americas track in Austin. About two years after Gossett was hired full-time at the racetrack, he began releasing covers of popular songs including "Ophelia" by The Lumineers and "A Life Where We Work Out" by Flatland Cavalry on TikTok. He first released short videos of him performing self-written songs such as his future singles "Coal" and "To Be Free" on TikTok.

Career

Social media and early career

Gossett released his first single, "To Be Free", on June 20, 2023. Although "To Be Free" wasn't as successful as his next single, the song introduced comparisons between his style and Zach Bryan. Gossett released videos of him performing the song and his next release, "Coal", on TikTok, where he first gained popularity.

Gossett had not recorded the full version of "Coal" when he first teased it on social media, so after its success on TikTok, he recorded it on a small microphone and a laptop in his bedroom. He wrote "Coal" in 2021 to help him overcome personal struggles; during an interview with Holler Country, Gossett said he "started it with the main line, 'If pressure makes diamonds / How the hell am I still coal?’... then the rest of the song came in 20-25 minutes." "Coal" was released independently on July 27, 2023. The song was Gossett's breakthrough onto the ''Billboard'' Hot 100; the US Country chart; and the British, Canadian, and Irish single charts. In an end-of-the-year article covering 2023 in country music, Jon Caramanica of the ''New York Times'' dubbed the single "one of the year’s best country songs," while praising Gossett's "ruggedly plaintive voice" and "emotionally detailed" writing.

Following the success of "Coal", Gossett left his job working at the Circuit of the Americas. On October 6, 2023, Gossett released his third single, "Beneath Oak Trees". Gossett said the song is about the Inspiring Oak Ranch in Wimberley, Texas, where he was married in February 2023, and living every day "as if we're still under the oak trees on our wedding day." Gossett supported Wyatt Flores during his tour in Fall 2023.

On October 22, 2023, he performed the U.S. national anthem atop the Circuit of the Americas Observation Tower at the 2023 United States Grand Prix.

On October 27, 2023, Gossett released his debut EP, '' No Better Time'', independently (though it was later released through Big Loud Texas). It includes the title track, "No Better Time", all three previously released singles, and the songs "Flip a Coin" and "Lone Ole Cowboy". Gossett chose "No Better Time" as the title track because, after a discussion with his wife and friends, he realized "there's literally no better time than now to try this music thing." He described "Lone Ole Cowboy" as being inspired by " Big Iron" by Marty Robbins and the music of Canadian singer Colter Wall.

Gossett signed with Big Loud Texas/Mercury Records in November 2023. On December 4, 2023, Gossett and his label announced his "No Better Time" tour to begin in February 2024. Gossett later opened for Noah Kahan during Kahan's Australian leg of the " Stick Season" tour.

On February 2, 2024, Gossett released his first single of the year, "Bitter Winds", which was described by Holler Country as "Gossett’s best offering thus far." The same day, it was announced Gossett would be performing at the 2024 Black Deer Festival at Eridge Park in East Sussex, U.K. On February 16, "Coal" was certified gold by the RIAA.

"Somewhere Between" tour and ''Songs in the Gravel''

On February 23, Gossett announced a new song, "Somewhere Between", only a few weeks after the release of "Bitter Winds". Gossett described "Somewhere Between" as a song about "a guy who lives on a train ... a high-energy narrative about a wandering man, running away from his past". It was released on March 1. Also on March 1, Gossett announced his next EP, ''Songs In The Gravel'', and a global publishing deal with Universal Music Group Nashville.

In early March 2024, Gossett announced a continuation of his American "No Better Time" tour, the European "Somewhere Between" tour, which began in Summer 2024. On March 22, 2024, Gossett released his second EP, ''Songs in the Gravel'', to digital download and streaming. It includes his two recently released singles as well as "If I Had a Lover" and "Finally Stop Dreaming". On April 9, 2024, Gossett made his Exit/In debut in Nashville, Tennessee, where he played the unreleased songs "Back 40" and "Baptized by Rain".

On July 17, 2024, Gossett released "Stronger Than A Storm" as a single from the soundtrack album, '' Twisters: The Album''.

''Westward'' release

On October 11, 2024, Gossett released the first single, "Tree Birds", of his forthcoming debut album, and on March 14, 2025, he released "Like I Do", the second single of the album. Gossett would announce his debut album, ''Westward'', on May 2, 2025, coinciding with the release of the album's third single, "American Trail". A fourth single, "Sweet Lady", was released on June 6, 2025, described by Gossett as a love ballad written on the road "about loving where you are in the moment, and promising that we’ll be back home soon." On July 18, 2025, Gossett released ''Westward'', a 17-track debut album, which contained every single released since "Tree Birds", as well as "Coal" and "Back 40". Gossett stated during an interview with MusicRow that the entire album was self-written and self-produced. During a separate interview with Holler Country, Gossett confessed the struggles he's faced with constantly being on tour, and that several of ''Westwards songs are written to balance this. The album became his breakthrough on the ''Billboard'' 200, debuting at 114, and debuted at 24 on the ''Billboard'' Top Country Albums.

Sound and influences

When asked to describe his music, Gossett stated “‘singer-songwriter’ I think is the first step. Then there's roots of country, Texas country, folk and Americana”. He listed Mumford & Sons, Ed Sheeran, Shane Smith and The Saints, The Lumineers, Tyler Childers, Marty Robbins, and Colter Wall as major influences. His music has also been compared to that of Zach Bryan and Eric Church.

Discography

Albums and extended plays

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gossett, Dylan
American country guitarists
American country singer-songwriters
American male singer-songwriters
1999 births
Living people
Singers from Austin, Texas